Biological Therapy

Question 1

Component: Antipsychotics

Answer 1

Treat psychotic disorders e.g. schizophrenia

Conventional = Binds to dopamine receptors and fully blocks

More side effects e.g. tardive dyskinesia

Atypical = Temporarily occupy dopamine receptors, then dissociates to allow normal flow

Less side effects e.g. headache

Question 2

Component: Antidepressants

Answer 2

Depression = Not enough serotonin produced at synapse

Normally, serotonin reabsorbed + broken down by enzymes

Someone with depression has too little serotonin left after reabsorption

Antidepressants (SSRIs) slow reabsorption OR block enzyme breaking it down

Question 3

Component: Antianxiety

Answer 3

BZ’s = Enhance GABA (natural anxiety relief), slowing down CNS

Betablockers = Reduce adrenaline + Bind to receptors that receive arousal, heart beats slower

Question 4

Effectiveness: Symptoms not cause

Answer 4

Affective in treating symptoms, but not underlying cause

E.g. Someone may need to resolve childhood trauma to fully cure depression

Drug therapy = Short term solution

‘Revolving Door Syndrome’ - Patient back and forth at doctors

Question 5

Effectiveness: Compared to other treatments

Answer 5

Compared to others e.g. CBT, drug therapy cheap for patient (NHS)

Practitioner invests less time in patient (Less checkups than CBT)

Faster solution (CBT waitlist 1-2 years, drug therapy soon prescribed by NHS)

Question 6

Ethics: Placebos

Answer 6

No patient should be given treatment known to be inferior

No protection from harm - Patient might not actually get better

If effective treatments exist, they should be used as control group

Question 7

Ethics: Lack of informed consent

Answer 7

Patients have difficulty remembering all side effects / Not in mind frame to digest the info

Doctors may withhold info e.g. not fully explain benefits of drug are slim / Exaggerate benefits of medication